Activision suit against EA moving forward

A California judge has ruled that Activision's counter-suit against Jason West and Vince Zampella can include EA, saying the company provided enough facts to proceed.

The battle of video game publishing titans has officially been given the green light from a California judge. Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle dismissed one of Activision's claims against Electronic Arts, but let the rest remain, reports Bloomberg. Though Berle didn't comment or rule on the actual claims themselves, he said the company had provided sufficient facts to let the case proceed.

EA had attempted to stop the $400 million contract-interference suit, saying Activision had failed to support its allegations. Judge Berle overruled the objection, pointing to Activision's claim that EA sought confidential information from executives. EA's lawyer, Robert Klieger, argued in his objection that Activision hadn't actually shown that EA was given any confidential information.

Jason West and Vince Zampella opened a suit against Activision over royalties and lost wages after they were cut loose from the company. Then, Activision counter-sued the two claiming they had worked in secret with EA, and in December added EA to the dispute as well. In January, Activision released seemingly incriminating e-mails that implied West and Zampella intentionally held back a Modern Warfare 2 map pack as a favor to EA. EA called the exchange "obviously sarcasm" and "a joke."

With this decision, EA is officially in the boiling pot with West and Zampella, and will have to defend against Activision's allegations in court. If nothing else, it should be an interesting spectacle for gamers and court watchers alike.

Steve Watts

Editor-In-Chief

Steve Watts' youthful memories are are a blur of pixels, princesses, castles, and Mega Busters. After writing about games as a pastime for years, he got his first shot at a paid gig at 1UP. He's freelanced for several sites since then, and found a friendly home at Shacknews. His editorial duties include news, reviews, features, and lunatic ravings. He lives in the Baltimore-Washington area with his shockingly understanding wife.